Participants of the workshop

The first "National Workshop on the Farmer Field School Methodology" has been held for two days in the city of Beira, Sofala Province, ending last Friday (31/07).

The event was organized by the National Directorate of Agrarian Extension (DNEA) in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Its objectives were to: 1) evaluate the common positive aspects of the implementation of the Farmer Field School (FFSs) in Mozambique, 2) share the experiences around this methodology at national and international level through the testimonies of the guests from FAO Rome and Malawi and 3) harmonize and standardize the criteria and strategies of the FFS implementation by the different actors in Mozambique. During the event, the partners also aimed to reflect on the FFS operation strategies in order to keep the basic quality parameters in the implementation of this extension methodology.

Speaking about FAO's experience with FFS, programme officer with the Organization, Eugénio Macamo, said that "it is rewarding to verify that the FFS movement grew and has registered an extraordinary evolution in the country since 2002, when it was first introduced by FAO".

"Now", Macamo added, "we see a new phase in which we go from the implementation of various isolated projects to an FFS programme at a national level: we do have new challenges and requirements, but we will certainly find more appropriate solutions for the FFS in the national context". Following the same line, the National Director of Agrarian Extension, Fernando Mavie, said that "DNEA will draw an Action Plan to support the FFSs and strengthen DNEA's role in its articulation with all actors involved in this movement, with the objective to share experiences and good practices of this methodology and learn from them".

For two days the participants discussed subjects like the draft of curricula and the definition of the thematic content, the establishment and implementation of the FFSs, the mobilization of funds and the sustainable management of FFSs.

The DNEA has expanded the FFS methodology in Mozambique to include the dissemination of technologies and agrarian practices to the farmers, within the scope of implementation of the Strategic Plan for the Development of the Agrarian Sector (PEDSA). With this Plan, the Government of Mozambique aims to contribute to food security and the farmers' incomes in a competitive and sustainable way, while also guaranteeing social and gender equity.

The four pillars of PEDSA are the increase of agrarian production and productivity, the improvement of the access to markets, the sustainable use of natural resources and the strengthening of agrarian institutions.

According to the Head of the Technical Department of DNEA, Inácio Nhancale, "the FFSs made it possible to expand the coverage of the extension network, to generate income and to increase the farmers' production and productivity by using new technology. The FFS also made it possible to reduce post-harvest losses and improve the quality of life of the families who benefit from the programme".

In Mozambique, the FFSs were first introduced in Zambézia Province by the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture with funds from the African Development Bank and with the technical assistance of FAO in a Special Programme for Food Security within the South-South cooperation between 2002 and 2005.